Across oceans and realms
by begentle
Summary: Emma is thrust into the Enchanted Forest for no apparent reason. With the help of one Killian Jones, she becomes a part of their world while searching for a magic bean. But Queen Snow's knights are raiding villages, looking for the girl from a land without magic. Emma must remain hidden, but everything changes when they find her and she is taken to Snow's castle.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

She awoke in water, lungs on fire and purple splotches in her vision. Without thinking, her body relied on instinct and swam upward, closer to sunshine. Her legs kicked harder and harder the worse her lungs ached. She broke the surface and choked on leftover sea water.

Hands grabbed her and pulled her upwards, over wood panel and coils of rope. "Hey, let go of me!" Her foot made contact with something and elicited a "PLEASE STOP I AM HELPING."

Blinking away salty drops that burned her eyes, she realized that it was an elderly man she had kicked in the face. An elderly man holding a big, gangly -

"What is that?!" yelled Emma, backing away as far as she could on the tiny boat. "WHAT IS THAT?" She pointed at the wooden puppet, except . . . except it _moved_.

The old man frowned and looked down at the monster. "Please do not be rude. This is my boy, Pinocchio."

The noise that tore out of her throat was inhuman. "_Pinocchio?"_

The wooden boy clutched the man's shirt and whispered, "She doesn't like me. No one does."

His wooden face was so devastating that Emma cleared her throat and added, "Sorry, kid. It's just that . . . I've never seen a, um-where I come from, magic doesn't exist."

The old man nodded though his expression remained angry. "We understand. But I believe it would be best to part ways. We are almost to shore."

They did not speak for the rest of the way, though Emma had a million questions. How had she gotten here? And what was here, exactly? As much as she wanted to believe it was a nightmare, the boat left her fingers splintered, the cold water numbed her skin-everything _felt_ incredibly real. Including the wooden boy. Not a monster, but a boy who looked at her curiously every few minutes.

When they reached shore and the old man-Gepetto, she had learned-climbed out to secure them to the docks, Emma smiled at Pinnochio. Said, "Maybe I'll see you around." She rummaged through her pockets and found an old keychain she gave to him. He took it and their fingers touched, and she froze. The wood of his fingers was warm.

Thanking Gepetto and Pinocchio proved unnecessary because Gepetto pressed his hands to his chest and silenced her, saying, "Remember us one day for we will remember you. May you find your home, Miss Swan."

With little but the dirt on her hands, she trekked her way through the docks trying not to react to the sight of creatures. Several fishermen carried cages of sea creatures she had never seen. Lobster-looking things with horse eyes and fins. Fish with limbs that appeared to be complaining about the underwater economy. She had no idea where she was or where she was going, but she knew exactly the type of people to search for. The kind she shouldn't go near.

Which didn't prove difficult. Minutes through the docks and along the forest, the ocean glittering with sunlight to her left, was a village bustling with its daily activities. Including a drunkard without any hair on his scalp but a beard down to his knees. Considering his fetal position on the ground, she knew the bar must be closeby. The stench of alcohol and body sweat reached her when someone opened a door in a dark building.

Inside, she paused. Examined the tables all the way in the back before resolving on one, it headed by a man with long curly hair and a rather large jewel stabbed through his left earlobe. Then she stopped a waitress and asked, "Hey, that man over there, is he important? Can he get me to where I need to go?"

The waitress was a young girl who grew scared at her words. "That there is Captain Blackbeard. He . . . he does anything he likes."

Emma thanked her and stepped forward, only to be stopped by a man with a gold hop through his ear. She yanked her arm back. "You want to keep that hand? Don't touch me."

"Sorry," he said, "Just thought I could help you. You need to get somewhere and I've got exactly what you need."

She eyed him, testing her superpower. "Including travel between worlds?"

"Of course," he said. "But perhaps we should carry this outside where strangers may not take advantage of this information."

Emma followed him outside, watching his hands for any quick grab they made for a weapon. They made none - until the door closed behind Emma and he swung around, hand at her neck. She shot her palm at his face and heard a resounding _crack_.

He yelled in pain and let go enough for her to kick him away. He was quick, though, and grabbed her from behind.

A voice called out, "Unhand her or you answer to His Majesty's orders."

Emma Swan had witnessed several strange creatures and customs, but the sight that most shocked her was of _him_. He took in her tight jeans, see-through blouse, leather jacket, and he blushed. _Blushed_. It was so cute she paid for her distraction.

The man pressed a blade across her throat, holding her tight against his chest. So she stomped on her attacker's foot and struck her elbow against the man's face, then watched him collapse onto the ground. She brushed away the blood on her jacket.

"You were saying?" said Emma, trying not to stare at him.

The man lowered his sword and bowed. "I am honored to make your acquaintance. I go by Killian Jones." He smiled expectantly.

"Oh right. I'm Emma Swan." She eyed him, unwilling to trust anyone so soon after that miscreant had jostled her around. No matter how attractive they were.

Her attempted rescuer wore a navy coat and beige trousers, a satchel draped across his chest. "I am an officer of His Majesty King Gregory's navy. You need not fear me. I may be of whatever assistance you require."

"Okay, Killian," she said, tasting that old fashioned name. "But first, are you going to arrest this guy or what?" She pointed at the unconscious man by her feet.

Killian did just that. In her mind, she had imagined more officers and a jail cell. What she witnessed only made her laugh - watching Killian Jones tie up the unconscious man to a wooden post in a plaza shone of the Wild West. He explained that everyone would recognize his face and remember him as a criminal. It was a small town and they all probably knew him.

As he finished up, she took off her jacket. There was still blood on it. Her _favorite_ jacket. But scratching hurt her cuticle. So she used her Swiss army knife as carefully as she could.

"Your weapon," began Killian, "is most interesting. Quite delicate."

"In my land, where I come from, this is of the utmost importance to anyone's life. It has multiple uses. See?"

He smiled. Those eyes. "You are most certainly not from this realm, Emma. I'm assuming that is what you seek - a way to travel back to your world?"

"You would be right." She shook herself. You couldn't tell how trustworthy someone was by their eyes.

"How exactly did you reach the Enchanted Forest?" he asked.

She shrugged. Tossed her hair over her shoulder and looked at the ground. "I have no idea. One minute I was flagging down a cab and in the next, I was drowning in the middle of the ocean."

"Drowning? A . . . cab?"

His confusion appeared genuine. Superpower remained steady.

"Do you know how I can get back to my 'realm?'" she asked. "I don't plan on staying here very long."

He grinned boyishly. "I don't know how to help you, but I am most certainly willing to try."

Her superpower didn't shake with red flags.

"Thanks," she mumbled. She put her hands in her pockets and rocked on her heels. "So. How about a drink?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Andria - this is going to be an interesting story. please update again soon! :)**

Thank you so much! Here ya go, another chapter! :)

"**If killian is not a pirate then how the hell snow etc exists? Or blackbeard? Killian was in the navy 300 years before everyone of them existed. Timeline mean anything? If this is completely au and killian is some goody two shoes, let us know."**

This is AU. It will all be explained. Killian's 300 years will occur differently than they did on the show. Just as an 18 year old Emma being in the Enchanted Forest before her parents have even given birth to her will be explained. I've created my own timeline in this au, as it is a completely different (or alternate) universe**. **AU = alternate universe.

"**Well it was interesting until you made killian a naval officer meaning before he was a pirate**

**So.. Bye bye"**

I really hope whoever reads this does not leave messages like this on other stories. I understand losing interest in something because of this, even during the first chapter, but writers from all background levels are on this site, trying to produce something they feel passionate about. Reading this can completely discourage writers and leave a lasting impact. This comment refers to the OP's _personal preference_ and not on the writer's writing style, language, characterization, humor, etc. While I'm now used to workshops and negative reviews, my younger self definitely would have deleted this story and suffered a blow to my self esteem. Some people will take this personally when it actually has everything to do with the OP.

**Where is Charming? He and Snow were ruling both kingdoms jointly not jyst Snow. Yet another CS story that vilifies Emma's parents**

This chapter acknowledges that Charming and Snow rule together, though Snow is mentioned more because Killian and Emma are currently in the kingdom Snow grew up in. I am not vilifying Emma's parents. Like they're not even mentioned, really? It might seem like I do in the following two chapters, but I'm using it as a plot device to bring tension to the story until they can reunite.

**Chapter 2**

She lived at the Blueberry Inn and worked at Granny's. Life was simple in this strange world. Full of mornings with Killian and late afternoons chasing down merchant ships, trying to make deals for a magic bean. Three weeks of knowing Killian and he'd moved out of his ship and across the hall from Emma because "the ship gets chilly at night." That was when they'd become inseparable. Lots of playful shoves and stolen glances, unable to resist laughing no matter how inappropriate the time was. The villagers were still suspicious of her and he was her only friend, so handsome she had to remind herself to tear her eyes away. She hadn't been alone since her first day.

Emma never woke up in time to order breakfast, yet she always slouched across the dining room and saw Killian sitting across from untouched oatmeal, fruit, and two slices of toast, his own breakfast already half finished.

"I know you'll never admit it," she said, "but I know the oatmeal is a punishment because if you truly, _truly_ cherished our friendship, you would order me the crepe and raspberry tart."

"You're right. I'll never admit it."

"Scoundrel!"

Killian watched her tear into the toast and laughed when she swiped a slice of bacon off his plate. He pulled his plate away from her..  
>"You <em>could<em> wake up on time and order your own bacon," he suggested.

She rolled her eyes and took another slice, knowing he wouldn't fight her. "I could, but then I would wake up less lovelier than I do, and we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"Oh, the village would riot. Think of all your suitors, disappointed that you're actually - what was it you said? - a 'hot mess.'"

"Maybe I _should _wake up early then."

Since she'd arrived in the village, men proposed marriage to her everywhere - in the tavern, on the streets as she picked up sweets, even at the bakery, which earned them a death glare from Granny. Emma was young, new to town, and lived at a temporary residence. They saw it as an opportunity to swoop down and snatch her from the grasp of spinsterhood. After she'd beaten one of them who'd followed her home, the same men still, over and over, offered her goats and barns full of haystacks.

"When are you going to cut off the ponytail?" she asked, changing the subject. "I mean, you have to stop stealing my ribbons all the time."

"It was one time."

"Killian, you never gave it back."

"Oh don't be silly."

Emma scoffed. In her most sarcastic tone, she said, "If you wanted a lock of my hair, you didn't have to settle for a ribbon. You could have asked."

Killian's head snapped up and they made eye contact for a very long time, the silence torn with the beating of Emma's heart. It was there every day. In the way Killian held her hand when they left the tavern. In the way she slapped his arm when he made her laugh. Every time she looked at him when he didn't notice, she saw the curve of his jaw and wanted nothing more than to untie that ribbon and curl her fingers into that hair.

"I'll keep that in mind for next time," he said carefully.

It struck Emma that he would probably never initiate any romantic relationship between them. She could do it, but sometimes she couldn't read his feelings toward her. He was too good a friend - her only friend, really - to risk it yet. She could do it. Just not now.

"Any news on Operation Compass?" she asked.

"Other than my veto on its name?" He glanced across the dining room and sipped his coffee. "The Evil Queen continues to seize every magic bean that enters the realm. No one knows how she does it, but every bean, hidden or not, is eventually discovered."

"What could she possibly want with all those beans? To terrorize other realms too?" She snorted into her drink, remembering the sight of that woman traveling through the village in her carriage. "Maybe I can hitch a ride back to my realm if I take her to Hot Topic."

"Though I don't understand that reference, I am quite certain it is a testament to only the most refined humor back in your land," said Killian. There was even a sarcastic edge to his tone. Emma was so proud. "From what I understand, the Evil Queen travels freely through this kingdom and goes unnoticed from Snow's guards. Perhaps she's preparing to travel into Snow's castle?"

"But why hasn't she done it? At this rate, she probably has more than enough beans."

Killian shrugged. "I could never understand the mind of a villain."

Emma scratched her head. "In my realm, Snow White and the Evil Queen - plus Prince Charming, can't forget him, can we? - is a popular story. The Evil Queen despises Snow White for being the fairest of them all, so she poisons her into a deep sleep from which only Prince Charming can wake her. I never thought any of it was real."

"In these stories, are we _all_ in them?" he asked. "Who would I be?"

"Let me think. A handsome sailor. Blue eyes. Black hair. You wouldn't happen to be in love with a fish, would you?"

He furrowed his brows. "A fish? I generally don't fall in love with my meals."

"You know what I meant." Maybe he didn't like Emma. Maybe he was in love with a cute redheaded mermaid.

"No," he answered. "No mermaid is of interest to me."

"Then I have no clue who you are. It's Prince Eric you sort of resemble."

Killian barked a laugh. "Oh, your land is strange! Prince Eric and Princess Ariel, who does happen to be a mermaid, do exist. They're friendly people. Always personally welcome my Captain and crew when we arrive in their kingdom."

Of course. If Snow White was real, why wouldn't Ariel be?

"Well then," said Emma. "I have no clue who you could possibly be."

That evening they sat in the dirty-looking pub with dim lighting, tankards clanking throughout. On two occasions, their neighbors smashed their drinks with such force their contents sloshed onto Emma. Killian was undisturbed by their surroundings; he drank his ale wearing a grin.

It was here that they first heard the rumors. "The found girl." "From a land no magic bean should take you." Word was it that there was a price for bringing this visitor unharmed and safe to Queen Snow White.

From then on Killian asked her to wear her hood down. Emma complied sometimes, but usually she needed the ocean mist to hit her face and for the sun to touch more than just fingertips. The residual heat of summer made it difficult, and no one suspected. Not yet.

"Queen Snow White is fair and just," he told her, "but with unknown matters such as yourself . . . it's enough to make anyone afraid. And with this kingdom in so precarious a state, you could be viewed as a ploy used by the Evil Queen."

Emma viewed her hands through the frays of her hood. "And you're sure no one has ever visited my land? I can't be the only one. I don't even know _how_ I got here."

"I've sailed the realms and never encountered one like yours," he told her, taking both her hands in his and looking into her eyes. "Nothing will happen to you. Not as long as I am with you."

She stepped backwards and looked away.

"I can take care of myself," she insisted. "And you're leaving in two months. You can't abandon your duty."

"My duty is just that - duty. Nothing of importance, not like you." He scratched the back of his ear and looked around the tavern. "And I believe that in order to get you back home, we need to discover how and why you're here in the first place."

As the days passed, she found it more and more difficult to think of home as the land without magic. Killian had promised he would employ all of his connections to find her a route home, but really, she started wishing he would find nothing. She wanted to stay here.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Two months later and she was no closer to getting back to the land without magic. She had a life here and in some way, it felt as though she belonged.

The Enchanted Forest was gorgeous, lush with green and streaked with rivers shining with sparkled faires. She'd been too distracted by its beauty at first to realize the reality. Because at night, the village of Kaine became a mecca of illegal trade. Creatures not found in Misthaven scurried across alleys. At night, it was best not to venture outside alone, Killian had warned her. Even he had reservations about entering a heathen's daydream.

So she never told him that at night, she looked for deals with black magic. No matter how she felt about Killian and about the Enchanted Forest, she needed to go back. She needed to find someone and bring him to the Enchanted Forest.

Emma had heard Captain Blackbeard was back in town and she'd wanted to meet him ever since her first night. His name wreaked fear across everyone's feature's, even Killians. A person like that could get her exactly what she needed.

The docks were chilly. Wrapping her cloak tighter around her body, she found his vessel and climbed aboard. At the helm was a man with scars down his face, the inside of his wrist encircled with a barbed chain.

"What business have you here?" he sneered.

"Your Captain," she said. "I'd like a word."

"Many folk want a word. Why are you so special?"

She rolled her eyes and pulled out a handful of jewelry from her satchel. She held it out in front of her and waited for him to take it.

"How do I know this is real?" asked the man.

"Princess Ariel isn't careful with where she looks," she said. "They're all stamped with her kingdom's insignia. You can check."

The man held the jewels up to the moonlight and examined them for several moments, during which Emma told him her purpose and scanned the ship's deck. She'd been on many ships these past months but none belonging to so feared a pirate. Somehow she'd expected instruments of torture to crowd the ship's deck, for its hardwood panels to be splattered with fresh blood.

"Wait a moment," said the man. He disappeared below deck, then emerged and waved her down.

Blackbeard sat behind his desk, open rum bottle and dirty cups splayed in front of him. His hair was long and curly, his beard filled with bits of bread. A man of little honor and no taste, just like all the other filthy pirates she'd met.

"You're seeking passage to another realm, my ship's mate informs me."

Emma lowered her hood and sat across from him. "You're right."

He laughed. "And how do you expect me to help you? The Evil Queen is in possession of every magic bean I've stolen."

"I don't need a bean. I need magic. Any kind of magic."

"Magic," said Blackbeard, rising from his seat, "always comes with a price."

"And I'm willing to pay it," she said, watching him unclasp something from around his neck and lay it in the palm of his hand. "All I need is a journey to my realm and a return trip for two."

At this, he laughed. "Oh, is that 'all' you need? Jumping between realms, girl, will cost you more than you have, and I'm not a man to give a girl such as yourself . . . false hope."

"All you pirates want is treasure, right?" continued Emma, shoving herself away, chair and all, from him. "I have gold. Lots of it. And I can get more. I just need a quick trip to my realm and back, just once, and that'll be the last time I meddle with magic."

He held out his hand and she took the necklace. Shaped like an hourglass, its body was wrapped with a snake. In the dim lighting she saw flecks of gold on its scales.

"That necklace," said Blackbeard, "can take you there. And back."

She felt hope unfurl in her chest. "How do I use it?"

"This device requires blood for every passenger traveling across realms. You must end a man's life with this" - he eyed the necklace laid on her lap - "filled with poison. Once he's dead, refill it with his blood and drink it, think of your destination and when you blink, you'll be there."

"How much?" she asked, throat tight.

"When you use it, use it freely. If you decide to stay outside of this realm, so be it. However"-he took a lock of her hair in his hand and felt it with his thumb-"once you use it for your own purpose, you must carry out a task for me. Kill the great Captain Hook, then your debt will be paid."

Emma pushed away his hand. "I thought Blackbeard could defeat anyone."

"Prophecies aren't taken lightly here, girl. Kill him or leave the necklace, I've no more use for you," he told her, tossing his bottle of rum onto the desk. "Away with you."

She rose from her seat and lingered by the doorway. "If I never travel realms?"

"Oh, of that I've no doubt," he answered. "But for now, a woman with hair of gold in possession of that necklace is a well enough plan for Hook's detached head on my deck."

She left his ship quickly, clutching the necklace so tightly she felt the snake's carved eyes cut into her palm. Its materials were cool to the touch, but she imagined it burned. Felt guilt trickle down to her toes the way blood would drip down that hourglass. The blackest of magic and now she wasn't so sure she could ever do it.

Her hood covered her face as she entered the Blueberry Inn, its owners up late with their newborn baby. Every time Emma saw the child, her heart clenched. Jaw shut tight. Her eyes lingered on its blanketed figure as she crossed the entrance and ran up the stairs. Since the child's birth, she'd thought about telling Killian almost every morning as they ate breakfast, to spill the words that tortured her every time she thought about being chained to that hospital bed.

_I have a baby. I gave him away._

But this wasn't the land without magic. This was the Enchanted Forest and they were old fashioned here. Killian was old fashioned. She didn't want to be alone anymore, and if she told him, he might. . . .

She really didn't want to be alone.

It was too late to keep her child anyway. Too late to think about being a mother. Blackbeard had made it clear the price of this particular magic. To go to the land without magic and to return. . . . It's price was out of her reach. Still, she fell asleep wondering how he looked now. If he had her blonde hair or Neal's thick locks. Maybe he had her green eyes and his hair, and the soft curve of her chin. She would never know, but one thing was for certain: He wouldn't have Killian's eyes.

* * *

><p>She worked in a bakery every morning, face sprinkled with flour and doughy fingers that smelled like cinnamon. Burnt fingertips and calloused hands. Heavy eyelids that rose only when noon struck and Killian stepped inside the shop, setting off silver bells. In his hand today was a sunflower tied with a silk bow.<p>

It'd been four months that she'd landed in the ocean and now her life was built, living at the inn and working at Granny's now that her granddaughter worked in the castle. She preferred it to working at the tavern, and Granny knew her only by Swan. But Killian was to set sail in two days time and with him, she hoped to go. She hadn't spoken the words aloud, but now that the time neared and they'd lost hope in finding a way back to her realm, she was ready to tell him, to let him know she was ready to abandon stability for him.

Granny rolled her eyes and waved Emma away. "Get on with it."

Emma tore off her apron and walked up to Killian. Shoved an index finger at his chest. "You're late."

"I-"

"I already know it took you an hour to pick this flower. Thank you and it's perfect. Let's go!" she whispered, grabbing the sunflower and marching from the shop, expecting him to follow. However, she bumped into someone at the door, someone who grabbed her arm. Tightened her grip and smiled so widely Emma could have sworn she was about to be eaten.

"I don't think we've met," said the woman, her hand still around Emma's wrist. "My name is Ruby."

She froze. Stared at this woman with big wide eyes and red lips slashed across her face. It was Killian who broke her hold by shaking it, introducing himself as "Lieutenant Killian Jones. And this is my friend Lena Swan."

"It's a pleasure," said Ruby, eyes on Emma. "Though you strike me more as an Emma."

Killian laughed easily. "And I've been told I strike them as a Charles. Now, if you'll excuse us."

The bells rang behind them, door shut. Outside Emma pulled her hood over her head and hooked her arm through Killian's, saying, "That was it, wasn't it? She knows and she's going to do something."

"Not if we can help it," he told her, keeping her close and walking quickly in the opposite direction of the Blueberry Inn.

This was a world of magic and creatures. Emma had survived in a world of small time crooks and surveillance cameras, where men left her to rot in jail cells. A childhood of cigarette burns. A child she could not raise. And now, this world was in flames around her until an ashy taste couldn't leave her mouth.

"Killian, you can't see me anymore. I'm the only one being hunted right now and I can evade them for much longer on my own. You need to go on your voyage and forget about me."

He stopped, stock still in the street, and looked at her with an anger she'd never seen across his face. "I'm not leaving you on your own, Emma. You mean too much for me to abandon you and hope for the best."

"I've been on my own my entire life," she said through gritted teeth. "What do you think I did before I landed here? I've never needed anyone before and I certainly don't need anyone now."

"It doesn't have to be that way," he said, jaw clenched. "You could join me on my ship, we can sail away. This place doesn't have to be your home. We can-"

"No! Killian, this isn't _my_ home. This is yours. And right now, I can't stay here any longer and ruin that for you." She risked it and pressed her hand to his cheek, looking up into his eyes. Softly, she added, "Thank you for everything you've done, but you're not obligated to do anything. If I can, I'll try contacting you in a few months, when you get back from your voyage."

"Certainly you must know how I feel," he said, all in a rush of breath. "All this time, I wanted to help you find a way home and I dreaded the day I would have to say goodbye. I will follow you anywhere; say the words and the navy is no longer where my heart rests."

She stared at him. Pushed away and felt heat clawing its way up to her face. "Why didn't you just _tell me_?"

"Emma, I-" He coughed, then in a lower voice, added, "I couldn't very well marry you

"MARRIAGE? Killian, there's this thing, it's called _dating_ - or, courting, whatever you want to call it - "

"Were we not courting for the past several months?"

"No," said Emma. "I had no idea how you felt. How was I supposed to know we were courting? God, is this another Enchanted Forest custom I'll never understand?"

"Perhaps another time," he said, taking her wrist and stepping in front of her.

Men in white armor, their chests emblazoned with gold, marched through the village. Everyone gave them a wide berth. Emma debated whether or not to bow, like some of the villagers, but froze when Killian grabbed the hilt of his sword.

"Draw your hood."

Emma did as he said, still frozen as they approached. Killian held her hand, slowly backing away. She followed his gaze to where it led: the forest.

"Emma Swan." One of the knights stood before them and held out a scroll. "Emma Swan, girl from the land without magic, you are to come with us."

"And what is this regarding?" asked Killian, stepping forward between them. "This woman has done nothing wrong. Who summons her?"

She couldn't see the knight's face underneath the metal helmet, but saw the way he lowered the scroll and bowed. "Lieutenant Jones, the Queen welcomes you to the kingdom, as always. However, you assistance is no longer required."

Killian unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the knight. "And to which queen do you refer?"

Without another word, the knight drew his sword and he and Killian engaged in a fight Emma had no intention of watching.

"No! Stop! Stop it!" yelled Emma, struggling against a knight who had taken hold of her. "I'll go with you! I . . . I surrender! Take me but leave him alone. Please stop. Please! Stop!"

A knight snuck up from behind and before Emma could warn him, Killian received a blow to the back of his head and crumpled to the ground. She was all limbs and nails, small but quick. One of the knights tried grabbing her wrists but she managed to slash her nails across his face, drawing blood. There was a moment where he felt his face, stunned, staring at her as though she was something to be feared. But it didn't last long. She wasn't quick enough to dodge the fist that struck her straight across her cheekbone.

When she awoke, she was inside an unmoving carriage and it was dark, the curtains drawn, and across from her sat one of the knights in white armor. Unable to make out his face, she jumped out of the carriage door and landed on grass.

"Emma," called the knight from the carriage. "Emma, we're at the castle. The King and Queen will see you now."

"Is Killian alright?" she asked.

"You can ask Queen Snow," he told her, raising his hands to show empty palms. "I will take you to her."

And so she followed him into the castle, the rest of the knights behind her. Living in that town with Killian had felt like a fairy tale fit for an orphan who'd abandoned foster care. It wasn't much, but Killian had cared for her and she'd had friends - Granny, Rebekah from the tavern, and Julian, the disowned royal. But now it was over.

The hallway gave way to a grand hall, its ceiling several stories high and its furniture not furniture at all, but two thrones front and center.

A woman with skin so pale and hair blacker than night stood from the throne and called, "Charming! She's here!"

Emma watched in confusion as a man appeared from behind the woman and together, walked toward her. Faces open with emotion - emotion she didn't understand.

"Emma," said the woman, tears in her eyes. "It is _so_ wonderful to finally meet you." She reached out with both hands to hold her face, but Emma stepped away.

"What did you do to Killian? Where is he?" she demanded. "He didn't do anything besides protect me. Whatever business you have with me, do it, but leave him out of it."

The man she assumed to be Charming stared at Emma with bated breath. He too tried touching her face, but Emma jumped backwards, eyes searching all corners of the room. The guards who brought her in were near, but their weapons outweighed her fists.

"We won't hurt you," said the man, Charming. "We want to welcome you into our home. _Your home_."

"Emma." The woman moved forward, tears down her face. "This will come as a shock to you and I know you don't trust us - all we ask is that you give us a chance. We brought you here because you're our family."

"We've been waiting for you. You're our daughter."

They were liars.

Both of them looked her age, if a few years older; they were on magical drugs, that had to be the answer. Emma looked to one of the guards closest to her and asked him, "What did you do to Killian?"

It was Snow who spoke: "Lieutenant Jones is unharmed. He is to sail away with the navy in two days time, as he was ordered to do before he met you. He has a duty, Emma, and to leave that duty would be treason to his kingdom."

Emma remembered his words - _I will follow you anywhere; say the words and the navy is no longer where my heart rests_ - and only then felt the impact of that decision. Treason always ended with decapitation.

But she didn't know what these people wanted.

"Why should I believe anything you say?" asked Emma, maintaining her distance. "I've been hiding for months. The rumors, they all made me out as a wanted woman."

Charming shook his head. "We always made sure people knew we wanted you alive and safe. But we couldn't mention our connection. An unprotected royal could inspire ransoms and - and we wanted you unharmed, especially with the current state of our kingdom."

Emma inched closer to one of the guards, the one from inside the carriage. He looked like the youngest, all curls and scruff. Too serious to notice her-

She grabbed the hilt of his sword and unsheathed it. Pointed it at the guard from whom she'd stolen it.

"Will he be punished?" she asked. "Is he going to be safe?"

"Emma," called Snow. "_Please_. Let us explain."

Snow approached her, hands raised, palms out. Emma looked at the guard then at Snow, then back at him. His arms were crossed and he seemed unconcerned because really, she was no threat. Already her arms shook from the weight of his sword.

"You," she said to Snow, "get away from me. Your guards already attacked both me and my friend, or haven't you noticed the fist-sized bruise on my face?"

"No one," yelled Snow, eyes closed, "was to lay a hand on you, so Jonathan Weaver will face the consequences of using that hand."

Emma paused, surprised at her anger.

"Emma," said Charming, "we don't have to talk right now. There are obviously a lot of emotions running high right now - with everyone - so maybe we should all wait for the morning. But please, try to have an open mind when we answer your questions tomorrow."

"How old are you?" asked Emma, hands more visibly.

Snow and Charming both exchanged loaded glances. "Everything will make sense in due time," said Snow.

"That's not good enough," snapped Emma.

"Your mother and I are both twenty-three," answered Charming. "You have yet to be conceived and Snow and I, we postponed the wedding so you could attend. Strange as it may seem, it is the truth and there is no doubt that you are our daughter."

The sword clattered onto the ground. Emma pressed her palms together, working hard not to scream. They were four years older than her. _Four years_. Emma had seen a lot of things since landing in the middle of the ocean. Creatures and magic and corrupt royalty. She had seen so much in four months, but this. . . .

"If I stay until morning, will you have someone check on Killian and let him know I'm alright for now?" Emma stepped away as the guard picked up his sword and returned it to his sheath. "Let's be clear about one thing: I don't believe anything you've told me. I haven't been in this land very long, but I do know that time travel is bullshit. All I care about right now is that Killian doesn't commit treason because I was kidnapped."

Her alleged parents looked at one another and tightly, Charming ordered, "Graham, please take Emma to her chamber and find her handmaiden." To Emma, he added, "Snow and I will send someone to carry out your wishes, Emma."

With still shaking hands, Emma followed the guard, Graham, through the castle. She would sneak out of the castle at the earliest opportunity. Run to the docks and hide on the ship, travel far and wide with Killian away from Misthaven. And if that didn't work, she always had her necklace.

Yes, she would see him soon. It was only a matter of hours.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much everyone for your kind words!**

**After much thought, I've decided to use the significant time jump to transition into the first person pov. I feel that that this provides a more intimate approach to the story, now that I've set up a more official plot. The first three chapters, though long, were meant to provide the back story to Killian & Emma.**

Chapter 4

I wasn't a princess. Not officially, at least.

Snow and David referred to me as such, as their daughter, as the Princess Swan, but the title meant nothing more than the _darling_'s Lorraine tossed my way at the stables. They were four years older than me. Four years ahead of my own timeline, a timeline ahead of theirs as I'd already given birth and I'd yet to be conceived.

But I was a princess. Officially in my head, as I'd only left the castle a handful of times since I'd called it my home. Imprisoned without a dragon, though with the sweeping view of Misthaven from my chamber window, the docks in plain sight. My fairy tale was at a standstill thanks to the Evil Queen. Stripped of all freedom so I would inhale and exhale monotony, bored but alive, until a tender, old age.

Royalty had responsibilities. Mine were to protect the castle and remain alive to become heir of Misthaven at my twenty-fourth birthday.

So I sat, eyes closed and arms outstretched as Mara helped me into my ballgown, lacing up the corset I hated. It dug into my ribcage so tightly I never bothered eating dinner beforehand. It would be several hours until I snuck into the kitchen to stuff my face with leftovers.

Tonight's ball was meant to congratulate Prince Eric and Princess Ariel on the birth of their first child. I liked Ariel. I really did, and not because _The Little Mermaid_ had been one of my favorite Disney movies. But when I thought of her, all I could think about was that when I birthed my next child, he would be celebrated as my first. No one would know about the little boy I couldn't call my own. And with my necklace missing, there was no sacrifice to be made.

It was almost time, if I let myself think about it. His birthday was next week and I felt it on my bones, where it weighed down on my body the same way carrying him had felt. I'd never seen his face. Never felt his fingers. And the way Snow looked at me, I'd never looked at him that way. Like a mother.

Royalty had expectations, whether they were official or not. I should forget. Ignore the pain blossoming inside my stomach.

"Where's Graham?" I asked Mara.

She smiled. "Oh, he's with the rest of the guards, examining the castle grounds. You know we have to take extra precautions with Ursula, but I'm sure he'll be back before you know it. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried. I just don't want to go to this thing alone."

Always with the dancing. Always with the "hello, welcome to our kingdom, thank you for your presence, we're both so royal, oh lala let's laugh and eat bits of fancy food because burgers don't exist in this realm" until Graham and I managed to sneak off and watch everyone from the upper level, whispering our best imitations of their pomp and circumstance.

"You're almost twenty-four," said Mara.

Balls had lost their charm once I'd lost my sense of place, which was in the castle, hidden, locked, and caged around the waist.

"I know," I answered. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

My fingertips burned at the thought. I wanted to ignite a flame and feel the magic pulse through my body until I burned beyond recognition. Misthaven had become my home but I hated its customs.

"Anyone would be honored," she said. "Maybe Graham, if you asked him what-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Of course," she said, finishing up the laces. She took a brush and smoothed out my hair. "Will you be at the Oak later tonight?"

"Maybe," I said. "It depends on how guarded the castle is. I want to, though. It's been so long."

She laughed. "I do enjoy the bit where you make me complain about you to everyone. I've never heard anyone laugh so hard as you do."

"You do your job well, Mara. Maybe a bit too well."

She smiled and began working my hair into something presentable. Only she and Graham were aware of the exact lengths I took in sneaking out of the castle. Using magic to transform my appearance took its toll and I'd had to reveal the truth to Mara when she found me in the morning one day, half my hair brown and one of my eyebrows arched high into my hairline.

"Are you sure you don't want to come to the ball?" I asked her. I watched her pin silver flowers into my hair and wished we could have a dressing up session before balls like we used to.

"I can't," she said. "But maybe I'll see you at the tavern."

Opening one of my drawers, I grabbed a drawstring pouch and laid it on the vanity. "Blue made your sister another herbal mix. It seems to be helping her get better."

Once I was ready, Mara kissed me on the cheek and left once two knights arrived, ready to escort me down the hallway.

The ballroom was beautiful. Crossing the entrance did leave me breathless, lungs spotted with pomegranate-infused air and the sight of rich velvet of carmine and golden tapestries so vivid my heart skipped a beat. The teardrop chandelier shot rainbow gashes across the walls. I still felt silly in my ballgown, wearing a small tiara and elbow-length gloves, waist about to break. No matter how many years I'd lived in the castle, I never became accustomed to its luxury.

I was unescorted, so I followed Snow and David down the steps, four steps behind them as proprietary dictated. When Princess Ariel and Prince Eric appeared at the top of the stairs, the guests bowed and I tried not to look awkward. Held my shoulders back and smiled politely.

Ariel and Snow were close friends, so when the formalities finished, David, Eric, and I watched them have their own personal reunion that involved a lot of hand gestures and hushed words.

"And I'm sure you remember our daughter Emma," said Snow, once more hugging Ariel, who looked at me curiously. It wasn't one of recognizing the thief who'd stolen her jewels. It was the same face the kingdom wore: confusion. There was no way I was their biological daughter, no matter how much Snow and David's combined features were written across my face. Clear as day. The nose, the chin, the swoop of my hairline.

"Yes," said Ariel finally, taking my hand in hers. "Of course I remember Emma. It's so nice to see you again."

But people still wondered. Looked and looked, trying to peel back my age until they blinked and saw a little girl of five years.

"The pleasure is all mine," I told her, then turned to Eric. "Where's your kid?"

"With Ursula and Hook in proximity," he said, "we thought it best to have him protected at our safe haven, to celebrate his arrival without endangering his life."

"Hook?" I asked.

"Emma," said Snow, taking hold of my elbow and tightening her hold, "there are guests waiting to make your acquaintance. Please remember what we spoke of last month."

Normally I would roll my eyes and dance with all the men with _suitor_ pinned to their lapels, but - "I thought Ursula was the only one we were supposed to prepare for. Now that I've joining the castle's knight fight - "

"Emma, you know how I feel when you call them that."

"-I thought I was kept updated on dangers to the kingdom and to this kingdom's friends. I haven't heard anything about Hook." Not since some whisper of a prophecy Blackbeard had pinned on my lost necklace.

Snow's eyes bore into mine. "Not now, Emma. This is a ball and while you've joined the knights, I do want you to enjoy your time off." Softer, she added, "You've seemed so sad lately. I'm sorry we haven't had a chance to sit and talk."

"It's okay," I told her. "Maybe tomorrow."

She squeezed my hand before rejoining Ariel and Eric. It was David who signaled Erzsebet to come over and told me, "Don't try escaping from Erzsebet like you did with Lawrence, Emma. We've discussed this."

"Where's Graham?"

"Thank you, Princess Emma," said Erzsebet.

"You know that's not what I meant. I thought Graham was going to be here."

David's smile dimmed. "Oh, he was. But he's our best tracker and we needed him available outside."

"It's fine," I said, looking at the ceiling. "I just thought my one and only friend would be around."

I could tell David wanted to hug me, to kiss the top of my forehead. But the rumors had never died.

"Have fun, Emma," he said instead. "Maybe you'll make new friends tonight."

I said nothing. Only smiled and found the first man whose marriage proposal I would drown before it bubbled to the surface. As a woman approaching her twenty-fourth birthday, I was expected to marry before the big day. Snow and David couldn't prove our biological connection, so in order for me to be able to claim the kingdom should anything happen to them, my marriage would be a testament of another line of heirs [fix]. They'd told me it wasn't necessary, that they'd find another option, but it was Blue who'd been honest. If I didn't do this, the uncertainty of the kingdom's fate could inspire conflict, especially with Snow and David's decision to have a child later in their marriage.

Thus, my royal responsibility was simple: find a man with whom you wouldn't mind procreating. It was plain to see that my fairy tale in fairy tale land was knit from tendrils of sunshine and spools of cloud.

Dancing with the men wasn't as excruciating as I always anticipated. It was not speaking to other anyone that struck a chord. Inside the castle I had few female friends and at balls, they rarely socialized with me. Snow had looked embarrassed when I'd brought it up, finally admitting that several people thought I was David's mistress. I was the dagger through the ultimate sweethearts. From that point on, Snow and David became very vocal on their parental relationship over me. But the damage was done.

The rumors never died and I never made progress, so I lingered in corners. My favorite corner was the one full of desserts. I stood close to them and picked out which ones I would sneak from the kitchens later on.

There was a group of women closeby, obviously friends, and I wondered whether or not they would freeze up at my presence, so slowly, I inched closer to eavesdrop.

"I wonder what Snow will do. She can't stand Hook and probably wouldn't stop at anything to keep him from the kingdom, ever since . . . you know-"

"Please, that's just gossip. That never happened."

That was the second time his name came up. I broke into their circle and asked, "What never happened?"

They all stared at me, and the woman with an emerald stone around her neck reddened and looked down at the ground. "Nothing, Princess Emma," she said. "I forgot my place. I do apologize."

"Tell me," I insisted. "If it concerns my mother, I want to know."

The woman looked at her friends before speaking, and when she did, her voice was low and shaky: "Rumor has it that years ago, Captain Hook paid her and Charming a visit at their summer palace. Apparently he was in the palace for _days_ before anyone discovered him. It was Snow. They fought and he almost killed her." She paused to clear her throat. "Captain Hook is a man capable of anything, Princess Emma."

"Why was he in the castle?" I asked, remembering one summer where Snow returned in a rage, cutting short negotiations between the Enchanted Forest and Arendelle. Snow hadn't spoken to her for days, had avoided her gaze. And they'd lost access to Queen Elsa and Princess Anna in the process. A tragedy, both vanished. Their kingdom taken over by Hans from the Southern Isles.

The woman shrugged. "They say he was searching for something."

I nodded. Hook. In the land without magic, there was a Captain Hook, but his story was attached to Neverland and the last time I checked, that was another realm entirely.

"What is your name?" I asked.

The woman touched her pendant and looked away. "Violet Lacar."

"Violent, do you know who Hook is?"

The women, including Violent, all turned to one of their friends, the youngest, daughter of the neighboring kingdom's widowed king. This woman I did recognize. It was impossible to forget Gabrielle Perry, the girl who helped me rise when someone tripped me at my second ball.

Flushed, she cleared her throat. "He's a scoundrel. Very charming, very . . . well, I heard he's quite handsome."

"Who told you?" laughed one of the women. "Your eyes or the corset laces he untied?"

Without blinking, she continued describing him. "There are rumors that he's the greatest pirate to sail the seas and realms. That ship of his, the Jolly Roger, is faster than any black magic you could self your soul for. They call him Hook because he has a hook for a hand. Lost it to a great enemy, they say. Not that it stops him from anything a man with two hands can do."

Emma thought of Blackbeard and his words to her. _Use it and you have but one task: kill Captain Hook_.

"Why haven't I heard of him before?"

The woman shrugged. "He's centuries worth of legends in a span of a few years. A man like that won't divulge those kind of secrets, no matter how many nights you spend with him."

"Alright then," I said. "What's his relationship to Ariel and Eric?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "A mermaid and a pirate? If there's a history there, I'd like to know it."

"Maybe she lopped off his hand," I said. Only Gabrielle chuckled.

It was quiet. They didn't begin speaking until I was several steps away from their group. But I didn't need their company while I seethed with the knowledge that Snow and David were keeping things from me. Magic flickered at my fingertips, so I tucked my fingers into fists and tried to steady my breath. The presence of magic at this ball would not be received well.

"May I have this dance?"

I jumped, startled. A man stood by my elbow, smiling down at me. He must have been almost seven feet because my neck already hurt looking at him.

"Oh, um," I mumbled, red still in my vision. If he touched my hands, he'd probably lose his. "I was actually about to leave."

"Of course. I do apologize. Have a lovely night, Princess Emma."

He looked so familiar. With a pointed chin and long hair tied back in a ponytail, there was something in the shape of his nose and cheekbones I couldn't pinpoint.

"Wait," I called. He'd dropped his pocket watch, so I picked it up and held it out. "Have we met before?"

"I don't believe I've had the honor, but perhaps you know my family. We're known by-"

"Emma," said Erzsebet, sweeping in and pulling me aside, his eyes scanning the ballroom. "We have to go."

Lawrence swooped in and led the man away quickly. I tried looking over my shoulder at what was happening, but Erzsebet's hold was too tight and all I saw before leaving was a small pulse of purple smoke.

It was just another one of Regina's knights. Trying to kill me. Again.

Her efforts had lessened in recent years. Gone were the elaborate plots to drag me through my chamber window via vanishing root or decapitate me using an animation spell on our garden statues. David thought it was her tactic, lowering our guard while she garnered power, but I thought she was growing weak.

I spent the rest of the ball in my bed chambers, finally out of my corset and in some comfortable clothing. Graham would tell me what happened at the ball later. When the sun set and several carriages made their way down the roads into town, I made my way through the hallways. If I was quick, I could make it in and out before Erzsebet, who was guarding my door, would wake from a short sleeping spell.

I rummaged through the kitchen, trying to find a basket to fill with treats and appetizers my corset had prevented me from consuming. As I ducked into the closet filled with pots and pans, I heard two distinct voices.

"Charming," yelled Snow, "you _know_ what will happen if he spends a second in this kingdom, if he hears the truth and knows we lied and you know, you just know what he'll do! I can't live like this. I can't bear the shadow of that prophecy keeping this kingdom so-"

"Snow."

"Maybe if we confess, if we make them listen-"

"Snow, you know why we can't do that."

"You're right," she said. "You're absolutely right. We have only one option."

"You can't possibly be thinking of-"

"Can you reach for the herbs Blue needs? And yes, of course. I'm thinking of the good of the kingdom and of our daughter, and that leaves us with a choice plain as day. We need to get rid of Hook once and for all."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you everyone! And I am sorry for the delay. I finally got a post-grad job (woot woot), so I've been adapting to that schedule and kind of wondering if I shouldn't have graduated a semester early.**

Chapter 5

"Graham!" I grabbed his arm and shook him roughly. "Graham."

His hair was soft. Curly and thick, it felt nice between my fingers. It felt even nicer when I closed my fist and yanked, earning a quick groan and a sharp "_You beast of a blonde."_

"I brought you a chocolate croissant to ease the annoyance," I told him, setting down my basket of treats on his bed. "I ate everything else, though."

Unmoving and eyes closed, he draped an arm across his face and said, "You want to go to the tavern, don't you?"

Though he couldn't see it, I nodded. "I want to ask Thaddeus about a pirate."

"You hate pirates."

"I do. But this one we're going to hunt."

He lay unmoving in bed for several minutes. I pressed the croissant against his lips until he gave in and took a bite. Swinging out of bed, he stretched and slipped off his shirt.

"Why were you sleeping?" I asked, lying where he'd slept and throwing his blankets over me. His body heat lingered, making my face flush. It definitely wasn't the sight of his naked upper torso as he crossed the room. "It's so early."

"An intruder hit me with a bit of magic, so your father sent me away once I began swinging my sword at the walls."

I laughed and watched him put on a different shirt. Even in the dark I couldn't miss the scar slashed over his heart, almost hidden by his chest hair. I knew it meant someone had torn out his heart at one point, but I doubted he would ever tell me the story. The look he shot me when I'd traced that scar one day we spent at the lake told me as much.

My face felt hot as I pressed my fingertips to my forehead, my cheeks, my hair, the minor changes stretching my skin and bone structure. It wouldn't last long, but it was enough for tonight.

No one knew why my magic was had emerged so quickly once the castle doors shut behind me. Snow thought it was stress at first, and Blue could only guess it was a response to another component, another force in the realm. No one said it, but we all wondered if it was the Evil Queen. Although I didn't know the full prophecy, I thought about it a lot, wondered if I was meant to kill the Evil Queen, that my life ended once I was conceived. That I was a continuous cycle of serving this kingdom and never being free. Meanwhile, Blue gave me potions to limit the extent of my magic, to avoid injury to myself.

As Graham and I trekked through the forest to reach, I told him what I overheard in the kitchens, that Snow and David were keeping the entirety of the prophecy from me. He knew about the prophecy as much as I did, as he rarely left my side, so he listened in silence as I questioned the extent of their history with Hook if they were willing to resort to murder.

"Your parents have faced much adversity," he said. "If they're keeping anything from you, I am sure it is for your protection."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked, trying to see his reaction through the dark. "They kept me from contacting Killian and then he drowned before I could send a letter. What was their reasoning their?"

"I am not in a position to question the King and Queen."

"Drop that. I know it's weird because Snow is your friend and my mother, but even you must see how not normal this situation is. And it's one I'm tired of."

I waited for him to say something. Do something. He was always by my side and witnessed everything - there was no way he failed to see the way I clung to my scraps of freedom.

But he didn't.

We walk into town in silence until he turned to me and cheerfully said, "Well, _Agnes. _I've yet to see your magic fail."

No one could see through my disguise. For all anyone knew, I was a baker in the castle and Graham and I were a couple.

We didn't enter the tavern so much as push ourselves in. The tavern was full, as it always was after a ball. Those who chose not to stay in the castle stayed in the closest town, in Lockshead, for the night. It was usually the younger royals, and I could see several of them crowded around their tables, Violet and Gabrielle among them.

I took Graham's hand and pulled him to an open spot at a table. There wasn't enough room so I made him sit on my lap until our neighbors got up.

"We need to smuggle ale into the castle," I said.

"Oh I think your father already does. Have you noticed how he always asks Jonathan for 'one of his concoctions' and that it mustn't be served in glass?"

I laughed. "But is it _this_ specific ale? Because Jonathan tries, he really tries, but only David likes his brews."

"Fair," said Graham, smiling so closely to me I could count every individual laugh line.

Thaddeus walked by at that moment and I half-stood from the table.

"Oi!" I yelled. "Thaddeus, you git, get me another pint."

Graham burst out laughing. "You sound ridiculous."

"Bugger off, graham cracker."

"I believe that would be more amusing if I knew of what you spoke. This isn't your land without magic."

I took his chin in my hand and shook his head. "Don't be so salty. You're not a saltine."

It was so loud at that point I had to scream in his face. We sat closely and our faces were even closer, so close I felt his scruff on my face. And like that, I kissed him. His mouth was hot and bitter, and it was so familiar I didn't hesitate biting his lip then resting my forehead against his.

"We have to stop doing that," he said,

I kissed him lightly. "Why? I'm not married yet."

Graham pulled away and looked down at his drink. "How's the search?"

"I'm not sure," I said slowly, watching him drink his ale without pause. I remembered what Mara had asked: _Why not Graham?_ "I think I'm avoiding a decision. It's . . . _marriage_. Never thought I'd be married so young, much less forced into it."

"Whatever you do," he said, "don't marry that fool Adrian Robinson. He stares at your crown when you're not looking."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I don't think it's him I'll marry."

_Why not Graham?_ There was no denying the fluttering inside my chest and ache in the pit of my stomach when I thought of those words. Me. Graham. An excessive wedding and rings on our fingers. But our future stopped at children. It was almost that little boy's birthday and Graham had no idea. I hadn't told him. But there were other issues.

"You know about Hook, don't you?" I asked Graham, watching his face fall. "How long have you known?"

"Snow asked us not to say anything."

"To me," I clarified.

"Yes."

"But _why_?" It made absolutely no sense. "I already have little control over my life, only to find out people are keeping things from me?"

We were interrupted by Thaddeus, who plopped two tankards of ale in front of me and Graham.

"Will that be all, Agnes?" he asked.

I pushed two gold coins across the table. "Hook. His location, who he is, who he's involved with, and if he has any plans to come here."

He picked up the coins and stuffed them into his pocket. As owner of the tavern, he was privy to all sorts of customers with loose mouths after a drink too many.

He sat on the tabletop beside us and leaned in closely, his eyebrows raised all the way into his hairline. "Well, I don't know much. Only what I hear. They say that ship of his can travel between realms, so when he's gone, you have half a mind to think him dead. He doesn't like this kingdom very much, everyone knows that. Something with Snow and the like, but he's never officially been wanted as a criminal, no matter how much he's thieved and killed here as of late. I think he spends most time where the Evil Queen reigns."

"Is he involved with Blackbeard?" I asked. "What's the history there?"

Thaddeus laughed so hard that Graham stabbed his dagger onto the table, between Thaddeus' fingers. "Calm down, wolf boy. What's so funny is everyone suspects it was Blackbeard who hacked off Hook's hand. Would explain why Blackbeard's disappeared. No one's been able to find him since he last visited that town by the water, Kaine."

_Kill the great Captain Hook _he had instructed. And I hadn't.

"Where can I find him?" I asked. "Blackbeard, I mean."

Thaddeus shrugged. "I hear he likes maritime kingdoms, especially Ariel and Eric's."

"Emma," warned Graham.

"But I thought he was an enemy of theirs," I said. "The castle was protected especially against Ursula and _Hook_."

He shook his head, looking pleased with himself. "On the contrary. He and Ariel are known to be friendly. Though he does bring with him the ruffled sort. Perhaps it was someone else who would go to great lengths to keep him away."

Graham wouldn't look me in the eye. Even after Thaddeus left, Graham stared into his drink and spoke to my forehead. I finished both my drink and his.

"Can I ask you something?" I licked my lips. For some reason words felt like soggy cotton balls, numbed on my tongue and heavy in my mouth.

"You can ask me anything, Emma," he said.

"Am I going to die in that castle?"

Eyebrows furrowed, his hands stilled on his tankard. "Of course not. I'll always be at your side and you have all the protection you could possibly need."

"You know that's not what I meant."

He looked at me, completely resigned. "I don't know."

I stood up and steadied myself on the table. "I'm going to the bathroom. Stay here, Graham."

"I'll escort you."

"No," I snapped. "Let me do this one thing on my own."

My vision was hazy, eyes everywhere. When I came across Violet with the emerald necklace, I gave her a large hug that confused her and made the rest of her friends invite me to join them. I told them I had to go to the restroom and would return. Instead, I walked past the bathrooms and slunk through one of the entrances. I must have fallen because I felt grass underneath my palms. If I moved fast, I could make it to the docks before Graham. It wasn't a short walk and I felt more sober by the time the heavy mist soaked my hair.

Some of the ships were leaving. Only those avoiding the night's dock charges did so, and with my luck, I managed to flag down the largest ship as its crew was preparing its departure.

"Look, I need you to give Blackbeard a message," I told one of the men, pulling the last bit of rope he was untying from the ship's port. "So simple, alright? Just tell him I lost it. Tell him I need help finding it. The necklace, I mean. If he needs to find me, just tell him my name is Emma - "

"What are you doing?" yelled Graham, a ways away on the docks.

Quickly, I drew Violet's emerald necklace I'd stolen from my satchel and threw it at the man as the ship rocked free.

"Tell Blackbeard I'm waiting!"

It was quiet and I could hear my heart beating, blood rushing to my ears. There was no telling the magnitude of what I'd just done.

"You planned this," Graham accused.

"Of course I planned this. What, you think I want to be locked up like some child? I want to go home. Not the castle, not this, not even Kaine. I want to go back to my land where I can live as I please and not have some bodyguard every moment of every day."

"Your parents want to protect you from the Evil Queen," he said softly.

"Regina, Regina, _Regina_. I hear so much about her yet but what has she done in the five years I've been under my parents' 'protection?'"

His jaw clenched, he looked directly into my eyes and said, "Every decoy we've sent out of the castle has been attacked and killed. No matter how what time of day, what time of night, how heavily guarded, no matter _anything_, every time Emma Swan leaves the castle, she dies. Even now, I only leave the castle with you because of your magic disguise and because I have this." Around his neck was a chain and at the end of it was a heavy locket. "It's enchanted to repel anyone who is looking for you and Emma, it does take its toll. Your parents forbid dark magic but I don't, and all I want is for you to be safe."

"Graham. . . ."

"We'll talk tomorrow. We need to get back to the castle now."

So we did, my cloudy mind now studded with guilt. As we walked in silence, I thought of her. Regina. The root of my problems was Regina. The all powerful queen ringed with dark magic.

Once we climbed through Graham's window, I was so exhausted I collapsed onto his bed. Thought of how powerful my magic could be without Blue's potion. Possibly enough to rival Regina's and end her presence in the kingdom. My parents were on their own murder mission and now so was I. It was time to kill the Evil Queen.

"Emma, you can't stay here," said Graham. "You need to sleep in your own bed."

His pillow was smooth. No lace or beading to scratch her face.

"I'm tired," I declared. "And I'm sorry. Graham, I had no idea. . . ."

"People in the castle talk. This won't be good for you with the marriage law."

"You're all very old time-y here. So sexist," I said. "If I _need_ to get married, why don't I just marry _you_?"

"Let me help you to your room. Come on."

I felt his hands but rolled away. "Why? There's a perfectly nice bed here."

"Emma, it's very late. I want to sleep but I can't while you're here."

"You wouldn't leave me if I get pregnant again?"

There was a long silence in which I realized what I'd said and he asked, "Again?"

Though dizzy and a bit nauseous, I climbed out of his bed and launched myself at the door, prying it open and ignoring his calls of "Emma! Emma, wait!" as I took off down the hall to my bed chamber. I didn't know if he had chosen to follow me until I climbed the last set of stairs and heard him call my name again, which only made me fumble with my keys. I chanced a look at him and mumbled, "Night," before locking myself inside. Even my personal bodyguard had no key. Only Mara did.

I sat for a long time on my bed, tracing the most prominent stretch mark on my stomach. That wasn't the way I wanted to tell someone about him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the kind words and for reading! Bit of a spoiler, but a certain **_**someone**_ **makes his grand entrance in the next chapter.**

Chapter 6

The Evil Queen resided in Snow and David's summer castle. She frequented its neighboring village for, most surprising of all, chocolates and small pets. And she never traveled without her carriage and a front line of guards. That would be the tricky part.

From my place in the trees, I harnessed a small flame between my hands. As her front guardsmen walked underneath me, I dropped it between them and her carriage, and a wall of flames licked the leaves overhead and sideways, stretching out several dozen yards. I dropped onto the ground and flicked two sleeping spells at the driver and her personal guard.

"Stay inside Henry," said a voice from inside the carriage.

But the carriage door didn't open. Didn't shake. She wasn't revealing herself, so I reached for the carriage door and felt my fingertips light up -

"Don't you dare," said a voice from behind me, "go near him."

The Evil Queen scowled, her open palm balancing a magical pulse.

"Mama."

Panic struck her and she looked at me, then over my shoulder, the force of her magic wavering.

"Stay inside, Henry!"

I took advantage of her distraction and kicked at her extended wrist, distinguishing her magic. I punched her across the face and when she fell, I grabbed the front of her blazer and pulled her in for a closer punch. But before my fist struck her again, I felt small hands tugging on my leg.

It was a little boy, tears down his face and face scrunched up in terror. He screamed so hard. He screamed to let go of his mama, to leave her alone, his small fingers trying to pull away my leg as though he stood a chance. I froze.

From the ground, Regina waved her hand and she appeared behind the boy, arms wrapped around him, and with another wave, they both disappeared into a tendril of purple smoke.

I remained unmoving, sweat soaking down my neck from the heat of the fire. The spell was going to thin out, but I couldn't stop staring at my leg, at the spot where the little boy had laid his hand. Small red handprints remained.

"Emma? Emma, dear?"

"What?" I jerked upright and realized that everyone was staring at me. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just . . . remembering."

Yet another meeting on how to handle the Evil Queen now that we knew her secret. The same reason her reign of terror had changed in the past years. Not because she was plotting, waiting for an opportune moment, but because she had a child and her priorities had changed.

Snow smiled tightly. "This must be very difficult for you. Regina is the reason you were separated from us and now, we must - "

"She's the reason we _will_ be separated," I reminded her. "Something will happen when you have me and if we kill her now, what's going to happen to me? Will my existence be erased?"

Blue lowered herself from the chandelier and midair, her wings fluttered quickly.

"You will remain," said Blue, "if Snow and Charming send their child to the land without magic - or perhaps even another realm - without magic immediately after her birth. Or if you return to your land. Either way, you cannot remain in the same realm as your infant self."

"Have you found a way to travel between realms?" I asked. I already knew their decision. Of course they'd choose to raise a child than to remain with a grown women their age. The Swans had taught me that much. I was going to be sent away once more. "Anyway, she has a kid. We can't kill her. It's not a fun life growing up an orphan and if we imprison her, what's going to happen to that kid Henry?"

Graham held my hand and I stiffened. The gold band on his finger pressed into my palm and I thought of our wedding, so soon, too quick for _in sickness and in health - until death do us part_.

Snow took David's hand and he smiled at her, a smile that didn't waver at her following words: "He could . . . come live in the castle. We could show Henry that dark magic is no healthy way to live. We could show him love."

_Don't you dare go near him._

I thought of the necklace I'd procured then lost, what I'd considered committing. "We can't kill her," I said, "but if we don't, she will stop at nothing to reunite with him and who knows how many casualties that will leave. From what I saw, she would do anything for him."

"Why don't we ask the boy?" asked Archie from where he was perched, his voice airy and light. "Perhaps I could be of service in that regard. As an insect - a talking one, yes, but one that will go undetected through magical wards - I could attempt to come into contact with Henry."

"He's a child," said David. "He won't understand what it means to stay with Regina."

Archie nodded and when he spoke, it wasn't to David. It was to me. "He's a child, but we can't tear him from his entire world, not if it's against his wishes. Surely Regina would be more willing to compromise for the sake of her son."

The meeting ended shortly after and we all went our respective ways, with me and Graham leaving for my chambers, where we had plans to work on. Our friendship had changed since my confession and our engagement, and when we were alone now, I felt guilty.

Before I'd asked Graham to marry me, I had avoided him as best as I could for days, preferring Erzsebet's personal protection over his. It wasn't until Erzsebet had sprained her wrist that Graham returned to his duty and I was forced to deal with my revelation.

He had handed me a canteen and said, "It's ale. I smuggled it into the castle, along with mint leaves to mask the fact."

I took it and mumbled a thank you.

"I understand," he began, "that royal customs are of an older era, but they do not coincide with my mind and my feelings, and you should know that I would never judge the decisions you made for yourself."

Though we walked, from my peripheral vision I saw him looking directly at me. I met his gaze and ignored the way my heart slammed into my chest, crashing from rib to rib. Maybe if I held my breath my head would burst and I wouldn't hear what I decided to say.

"His birthday is next week," I told him.

He nodded. "He must miss you."

"I wouldn't know. Where I come from, you can put children up for adoption. I just wasn't ready. Not then."

And now that he knew what I wanted, he was willing to hold my hand and leap into another realm, to leave all he knew behind. _I will not leave you alone,_ he'd said.

His words cut through my mind the way I felt his engagement band cut into my skin. Duty.

As we crossed the service hallways for a shortcut, the kitchen doors flew open and there was no telling who it would be. The castle was crowded at the moment, filled with Snow and David's friends and allies, most of whom never stopped staring with a question mark stamped on their foreheads. Was I really their daughter? How? No one could believe they were willing to sacrifice themselves for me. It was only the prospect of stopping Regina's reign that froze the questions on their tongues.

One of the dwarfs, Grumpy, stumbled out of the kitchens and frowned at Graham.

"Just where are you going with the princess?" he demanded, leaning forward on his pickaxe.

I curled my fingers through Graham's and answered, "To relieve me of my 'maidenhood.'"

"_Emma."_

"It's not really your business, Grumpy," I added.

Even his nostrils flared in anger. Grumpy narrowed his eyes and swung in pickaxe over his shoulder. "Wolf boy's history doesn't stand too clear in my book."

"Well, it should," I snapped. "He's one of Snow and David's most respected knights and my betrothed, so unless he murdered your cat and smeared its blood over the walls, I expect you to respect my fiancee."

We maintained eye contact for a moment longer before he nodded at me, then at Graham, and continued down the hallway without another word.

I interrupted Graham before he could say anything. "It's not you, so don't start again about finding a 'more suitable husband.' Grumpy doesn't like anyone and you know it took years for him to even warm up to David."

When we entered my bed chambers, there sat a crow on my windowsill, a note tied to its leg. It cawed and crooked its head at me as I unraveled the message.

_Kaine docks. Don't forget. I look forward to seeing you, princess._

I stared at it. Read the message over and over until Graham took it to read. There was no way for me to make it to Kaine, not within hours and without my magic. Ever since I had confronted the Evil Queen, I'd doubled my doses of Blue's potions. The aftereffects of my magic's extent had terrified me.

I had returned to the castle with burnt fingertips and singed clothes, half my face losing its disguise. When I reached the main gates, there erupted a group of Regina's knights and with the full force of my magic, I looped its pulse around all three of their necks and lifted them up, up, up into the tree branches, where their feet kicked at dead leaves until their bodies landed, unmoving, onto the ground.

That's when Graham found me, red vision and chest heaving, and I raised him to, up, up, up, until I realized who he was and set him down onto a thick tree branch. Crossed the main entrance and reached the castle by foot, where I took two of Blue's potions and didn't wake for days. My eyes eventually opened, but with nothing more than a distant memory of not the decoy, but the real Emma Swan they hadn't been able to kill. Not that time.

Graham and I never spoke about it.

And now, I felt his engagement ring whenever he held my hand and the guilt sank in. Because when I felt the gold band, I knew he loved me and I knew he was my comfortable choice. A decision I could live with.

_Kaine docks tonight, princess. You know who I am._

Except it wasn't me Blackbeard would see. It was Graham. If all went well, I would have another way of jumping realms and Snow and David wouldn't prolong my conception. I couldn't handle seeing Snow's expression when we crossed a baby any more. Or the way David began most of our conversations with "I would have taught you how to. . . ." I wasn't what they wanted.

So I waited. Sat on my bed and read Blackbeard's message over and over, remembering what it was like to wander the streets of Kaine at night. When that was too much, I went over mine and Graham's final wedding details. The wedding was in three weeks and I still hadn't chosen a dress.

Mara was gone for the night, so when I heard a light knock, I ignored it. But when someone continued knocking, I could ignore it no longer.

It was Ariel. She smiled, cradling her newborn, Sebastian. "Can I come in?"

I glanced over at my balcony. "Yes. Yes, of course."

She wore trousers and I couldn't stop staring at her legs, at those knees, trying to imagine where her tail would have curved. There was no other mermaid with the ability to freely transition from land to water and back.

We hadn't even sat before she asked, "Have you always gone by Emma?"

I nodded slowly. She knew. She knew about Agnes.

"Do you-" She stopped. Cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, but please don't be offended when I ask you this. Do you know any pirates?"

_On the contrary, they're quite friendly. And Snow hates it._

"I knew Blackbeard, briefly. Was there . . . anyone else you meant?"

"Well," she began, looking down at Sebastian. Since she'd returned to the castle, I'd been building up the courage to ask to hold him. "I've this friend and he can be very private, so what I know is years of scrounging for any bit of information he accidentally divulges. But I am certain of one thing: her name was Emma."

"I don't . . . I don't understand."

Smiling, Ariel pulled out a necklace from under her necklace and held it out for me to see. "I remember you from when you were younger. Before Sebastian, Eric and I visited Snow and Charming as often as we could, and we preferred arriving at the Kaine docks. There was a girl who stole from me. I knew she had, but I imagined she needed money more than I needed ornaments. So I said nothing, but I will now, and that was you, wasn't it?"

I was surprised to feel embarrassed. Stealthy enough to keep my thievery from Killian, I'd thought the same of the royals from whom I'd stolen.

"I'm sorry," I told her.

"You didn't kill for jewels, and I have more rocks than I could possibly need. It's in the past. All I ask for return is that you hear what I have to say."

She readjusted Sebastian in her arms and said, "Eric and I always preferred Kaine docks, as you know. So I arrived there on my own and planned on arriving by foot, but I didn't expect for Poseidon to call for all mermaids of his ocean so soon after a full moon. I lost my ability to walk on land, miles from the castle and near a road. There wasn't a lake, river, or pond for miles, and it would be a matter of hours before I dried out. I called for help but carriages ignored my calls, probably thinking it was a trap. I'd given up hope when this one pirate looked at my tail - and I'll never forget those words - 'What the buggering hell are you doing out of the ocean?' My mouth was so dry, I couldn't speak, so he cursed then threw me over his shoulder, then threw me into the carriage he'd just stolen. I owe him my life. Of course, he wouldn't hear of it, but he did agree to keep in contact. He's a pirate and he's a thief, and I know those awful things he's done, but I do know he can be a good person."

Was she really talking about Hook? "And you think I know him?" I asked.

"He found me outside of Kaine, where you lived. Did you know that was the only time in who knows how long that he's been in that town? He hates it. I've always suspected his hatred of it had to do with her."

Hook. A prophecy. Did Snow and David want to keep me from knowing of Hook because we were destined together?

"My name isn't Calpernia. It's _Emma_. Quite a common name in any land," I told her, trying to maintain my anger. "I've encountered several pirates, but none so 'honorable' as the pirate you speak of. Hook is not someone I know, so please, don't think we're lovers who need to be reunited."

It was as ridiculous as the thought of kissing Blackbeard. Handsome or not, Hook was a pirate.

"I never meant to offend you," said Ariel. "Hook is my friend and friends watch out for each other's happiness. I only wanted to gauge my suspicions, and it looks like I was wrong."

"Yes, you were." As she rose from her seat, I was scared she wouldn't bring him up again, that I couldn't ask her - "Where _is_ he?"

Ariel smiled, kind as always. "He's my friend and I won't put him in danger. Goodnight, Emma."

She and Sebastian left, and I waited for Graham, thinking of how Ariel could remain friends with a man who'd attempted to kill my mother. My thoughts lingered in that cloud, fingers absentmindedly running over the handprints on my leg, when my balcony doors burst open.

Graham stepped into my bed chambers with bloody hands, crimson crusted on his neck. I leapt off my bed and yanked down his shirt, trying to find a wound.

"Blackbeard is dead," he said. "And I think Hook did it."

"Hook as in Captain Hook? He's here?"

Graham paused. Twisted his engagement band. "Yes, he is. I saw him."


End file.
